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Shoulder tightness puts Griffin on 15-day DL

Shoulder tightness puts Griffin on 15-day DL

OAKLAND -- A day after he was forced to leave his start in the second inning with right shoulder tightness, right-hander A.J. Griffin was placed on the 15-day disabled list by the A's on Sunday.

The good news for Griffin is an MRI taken during Saturday's game didn't show any damage, and Oakland manager Bob Melvin said that means the rookie starter -- whose next start was going to be skipped anyway to help limit his innings -- probably won't be out much longer than the mandatory 15 days.

"Obviously I'm bummed, but at the same time I need to just stay with the program, keep going after it like I was every day and just try to get healthy as soon as I can," Griffin said. "We're going to be fine though. We've got tons of awesome guys on the team, going to continue to play good baseball."

Even though Griffin only missed a week when he had a similar injury in college, he wasn't second-guessing the team's decision at all, especially with the current need for relief help. The DL, though, is a new experience for him, having never been on it in his career until now.

"It's going to be weird, but I just have to embrace it and trust the process that they put me through, and I'll be back out there as soon as I can," Griffin said.

Luckily for the A's, they have no shortage of arms -- in fact, they have a surplus of rotation candidates, and rehabbing right-hander Brandon McCarthy is on track to take Griffin's spot.

On Saturday, McCarthy threw his second rehab start since landing on the DL himself on June 20 with reoccurring right shoulder soreness, and Melvin confirmed that the righty should make his next start for Oakland, provided he throws a bullpen session with no setbacks. That outing would be on Friday against the White Sox.

For his part, McCarthy said his shoulder feels good, and "it's time to get back."